As part of our trip with Silks Hotel Group earlier this year, we had the opportunity to visit The National Palace Museum in Taipei that houses a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artefacts, which many were moved from the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

We had a short tour around the exhibits due to the tight schedule but despite that, we were introduced to some of the key pieces in the museum through a very informative guided tour. After getting some insight of the popular artefacts, we were led to Silks Palace to dine within the National Palace Museum.

Why you should dine in Silks Palace?

We were eagerly anticipating our lunch here in Silks Palace as I’ve heard from the rest of the group that Silks Palace is known for making miniature sizes of the popular artefacts in the National Palace Museum as part of their menu! History and cute food combined, it was so hard to contain my excitement and share this one-of-a-kind experience with you.

Ladies of Tang Dynasty Dessert Buns

Omg, aren’t these paus the cutest?! These are the beautiful ladies of the Tang Dynasty who were known to have tender skin and delicate features that resembled the luxury of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. We each had a bun to be creative and apply makeup on with these stamps and food dye.

I decided to make a jade leaf hair ornament, apply blusher, lipstick and give her a bit of an unconventional flower cheeks because I’m extra like that.

Assorted Appetizer Entrée

• BBQ Suckling Pig
• Scallop with Sichuan Pepper
• Mullet Roe with Leek
• Marinated Goose with Spring Onion
• BBQ Suckling Pig with Duck Liver
• String Bean with Mustard Cabbage

Buddha’s Tureen in Ting Cauldron with String Decoration

The Ting Cauldron with String Decoration became a representative creation during the epoch of the Warring States – Han, Chow and Wei – and experts in making of copperware. Here, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a Chinese delicacy, is aptly served in a bowl that resembles a Ting Cauldron complete with its circular cup, three rings (on it’s cover) and three legs!

Ching Dynasty Jadeite Cabbage

One of the most famous masterpieces at the National Palace Museum is the Jadeite Cabbage, which looks like a real vegetable. The locust on the cabbage is a traditional metaphor for having numerous children. The cabbaged served to us was actually bokchoy, cooked of course, and in place of a locust, was a prawn. How ingenious and adorable!

Ching Dynasty Meat- Shaped Stone

The meat-shaped piece of stone looks like a piece of meat at first glance. The stone carved with great precision with its skin stained, intricate veining and hair follicles making the piece appear even more realistic. Compare it with this actual meat and you can see the similarities are uncanny! It was delicious too (the real meat, I mean).

Chicken Wing Stuffed with Glutinous Rice

At first glance, it looked like a big juicy chicken wing but then I thought, how is that possible? Then I took a bite on the juicy chunk and realise it was stuffed with glutinous rice! It was hot and soft inside while the skin was crispy! Omg, how did they do that? Culinary art at its finest.

Simmered Lobster with Snow

This dish was inspired by the story of Tang Dynasty’s Snowy Night Peace Flower Blossom. It is said that when the emperor fell ill, his queen, Wu Zhe Tien, waited by his side. When peace blossoms bloomed in March, the emperor saw the blossoms against the white snow and remarked how beautiful the season looked outside. Upon hearing this, the queen ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare a feast like the scenery consisting of egg white resembling snow and seafood resembling the blossoms. It has since been a popular imperial dish.

Fresh Seasonal Fruits

The fresh seasonal fruits were served cold to us with dried ice for a dramatic flare and also in a fruit bowl that resembles the Epoch Warrior States Ting Cauldron!

Imperial Dessert in Chinese Curio Box

Desserts came in bite size forms of the treasures of the National Palace placed on bamboo veneer fashioned in a way that could be easily taken out of and displayed in an Imperial Curio Box.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here at Silks Palace savouring food akin to the Tang Dynasty Imperial Court along with my travel mates – Dennis, Adrian, Marc, Dennison, Esther, together with the Silks Hotel Group and Asia KOL team.

Address:
Silks Palace, National Palace Museum, No. 221, Sec 2, Zhi Shan Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Tel: +886 2 2882 9393

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Reference:
Silks Hotel Group
National Palace Museum
Silks Palace

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